


The Place Beyond the Mirror

by Onhiro



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Gen, Thriller, halloween themed, lots of swearing, magic gone awry, some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-20 15:41:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21284117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onhiro/pseuds/Onhiro
Summary: On Halloween night, Sucy is on her way to the Green Team dorm (that she was staying at after Barbara burnt down the Red Team dorm...long story) when she suddenly crosses into the space that she goes to as a trick, such as when she broom dances. Perplexed, she tries to go back to the normal world, only to very rapidly find out that something is terribly wrong and that she's stuck there...not only that, but she's not alone. It'll be up to the help from Amanda and Diana to rescue her, but they need to hurry. After all, time is quickly running out for their friend.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 10





	The Place Beyond the Mirror

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RegalKn1ght](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RegalKn1ght/gifts).

> Created on a LWA role-playing discord, where I acted as Amanda, RegalKn1ght was Sucy, and a third person played Diana. I type fast, so that's why it might seem that Amanda takes center stage, haha. I hope you all enjoy, it was a lot of fun to be part of a collaborative effort like this!
> 
> A lot of swearing in this...our girls are potty mouths in dire situations!

_‘I just got a call from my mom. she said don't eat too much candy, shes sending something over, take that information with as you will’_

Sucy sent the message through the group chat on her phone as she ghosted through the halls, barely paying any attention to the other witches around her, more intent on her phone that was connected with the magic router that had been installed between their first and second years. Croix would be so proud of that…her phone buzzed.

** _Diana_Cabbage_Dish_ ** _: Should I be concerned?_

Sucy scoffed, rolled her eyes before she quickly typed out a reply.

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: No. You met her._

_Shes probably making some treats or something._

It wasn’t long before another joined the chat, and Sucy’s mouth twisted in slight displeasure. Not because she disliked Amanda, but more so because she was hoping that her other friends would respond. Two of eight (ten if you counted Croix and Chariot) wasn’t all that much…

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Oh, baller, Suce_

_Can I get some?_

“As if that’s a question,” Sucy muttered under her breath as her thumb flew across the screen.

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: She always makes too much_

Truth, that…if past events were an indication, she’d have a small mountain of treats on the way.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: I remember last time_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Shes making those cookies you like btw_

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: I think it’s a bribe_

Sucy’s eyes narrowed. She was expecting some form of excitement for the tall American. A lead up like that could only mean teasing.

**_sucy the mushroom_**: _Tch._

_For what?_

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: So that we stay your friends_

_Jokes on her though_

_You fit in all too well_

_The food is just a bonus_

The underhanded compliment had been unexpected, and Sucy felt a blush dust her cheeks before her thumb tapped out a response after a moment’s hesitation

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: I - I don't what to say_

_Thanks Amanda._

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Speechless? I tend to have that effect on people_

_;)_

And just like that, the blush and the slight warmth in her chest was gone, and her face tightened with an annoyed scowl.

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: and it's done_

_look you want your cookies or not_

But apparently, Amanda hadn’t been done with her compliment.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Fr tho_

_You keep us on our toes_

_And we love you for it_

_On my way!_

She rolled her eyes as she continued onwards. Figures that Amanda would try to come to her when Sucy was already heading to the Green Dorm.

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Ugh I love you guys too_

_Wait. Aren't we still bunking in the green team?_

That should be plain enough for even the hard-headed American to get!

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Maybe?_

‘Maybe?’ The heck was that supposed to…oh, right, Amanda had been teasing earlier, threatening to send Akko and Sucy to the Blue Dorm. As if _that_ would go well.

A prickle against her skin, the dim corridors replaced instantly by an all-encompassing whiteness accented with the smell of freshly turned soil, and Sucy immediately stopped, looking around her in confusion. Not the first time she had been here, this was where she went when she did her disappearing trick with her broom, but she usually had to try to come here in order to do so. It didn’t just happen on accident. Plus, the last time she had been here, there hadn’t been any sort of smell…

She glanced at her phone. Huh. She still had full signal. Thank the Nine for magic wifi….if it had been Cons’ wifi, she didn’t doubt that she’d have lost her connection.

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Where the fuck am I._

_Damnt._

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Lol_

_Did you go to the place you go when you broom dance and disappear?_

Sucy grit her teeth as her eyes narrowed. “It’s not funny, Amanda, this is actually serious!” she growled as she hammered out the text.

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Yes_

_Help plz_

The reply took a minute to hit her phone.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Hang on_

_Summoning circle is drawn_

And then, a moment later: _Aaaaaaand activated_

_...can you see it?_

Sucy turned in a slow circle, unease prickling at her skin as she didn’t see the gentle blue light of the summoning circle, even though it should have been here. She preferred Lotte’s work, the few times she had gotten stuck before, but Amanda was perfectly competent. The circle _should_ be there! Trying not to let fear grip her too tightly, she sent another text.

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Ehhhhhh. Wait a minute....._

Then she saw it, a hulking black figure, small in the distance of the void, but the proportions…they weren’t _right_. Licking her lips nervously, she continued to message.

_What the fuck....?_

_Do you guys see that?_

The reply came almost immediately.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: See what?!_

_This should have worked by now_

She bit her lip, moving closer to the figure, details becoming clearer as she drew closer. Hands shaking slightly, she lifted her phone and tried her best to describe what she saw.

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: There's this weird shape. Like all black and with these weirdly, almost drawn in eyes._

Meanwhile in the dorm room, Amanda was frantically pacing back and forth, unease gripping at her. She knew she drew the circle right, Sucy had made her practice over and over on threat of mushrooming to the point that Amanda could probably draw it while asleep, complete with the runes to keep anything nasty on the other side from coming through. She had done everything right, she _knew_ it. Whatever the problem was wasn’t on her end, it was on Sucy’s, and that was damaging Amanda’s calm. Then she got the most recent text from Sucy, and she stared at her phone for a terrified moment before she replied.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: I used the exact same circle as last time!_

Sucy should have been able to see it, why couldn’t she see it?!

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Its shaped like.....something inhuman._

_The arms are way too long, and they hang off with these horribly crooked nails._

There was a monster in with Sucy, a monster with her in the space between moments, in the realm of memories.

**_Amanda_69_**_: Whatever it is it can’t get through,_ she quickly sent. If they could just get Sucy out of there, that thing couldn’t follow her, this was immutable Law. They just had to get Sucy back!

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Ugh. What is that smell?_

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Sucy leave it alone get the fuck back here now!_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: I cant see it Amanda. The usual light that surrounds the summoning circle... it's not there_

An ice bucket splashed against her very soul. There was only one word that could express how she felt right then.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Fuck_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: It smells like, soil. Yeah, like something fresh and new._

From what Amanda remembered, that place shouldn’t have a smell, and she felt horrifyingly out of her depth. She couldn’t do this alone.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: @Diana_Cabbage_Dish we need your help!!!_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: The creature isn't moving._

_But its alive._

“Goddammit!” Amanda snarled, feeling helpless as she slammed out another text.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Stay away from it!!!!_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: It's taking these long, drawn in breaths, its shoulders slope down with each movement. Its breathing, Amanda._

No slang, no snark, no nicknames. Oh, this was so not good! She couldn’t just sit here doing nothing anymore! She was moving towards her closet now, already hammering out her message.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: I’m armoring and arming up, I’ll come to you!_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Don’t_

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: y the fuck not?!_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: You cant ruin the summoning_

_Well both be trapped in here_

Amanda paused in the middle of arranging her armor around her to reply to _that _particular bullshit.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: And I’ll have armor and a big ass fucking sword!_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: How the hell will that fucking work? We can't draw the circle inside the fucking place!_

_Just stay there._

“Y’all ain’t gonna be the sacrificial lamb, Suce!” Amanda hissed as her wand swished an intricate pattern, the armor rising and attaching itself to her, given her the protection she was almost certainly about to need. “And you seem to forget that I’m not an idiot!” The next spell was more difficult but was absolutely vital, but once it was cast, she picked her phone back up.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Leaving an anchor here_

_I’ll be tethered_

_Time set to_

_Fifteen minutes_

_And I’ll be yanked back_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Dont Amanda. Time and space works differently here._

“Where the fuck is Diana?!” Amanda snarled as she completely ignored the substance of Sucy’s text.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Didi, need you, **now**!!!_

Finally, the star of Luna Nova responded, but not in the way that Amanda had hoped:

** _Diana_Cabbage_Dish_ ** _: Amanda what in the hell did you do!?!_

“Why is _that_ the first thing she fucking asks?!” Amanda wailed as she gathered up her sword and headed towards the summoning circle, pausing only to shift the one symbol, changing it from a one way tunnel to a two way. Gathering the nerves to do what she needed to do, she replied to Diana’s text.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: It’s not me!!!_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: The creature, its turning its head._

All doubt fled Amanda’s mind at that, though the fear remained, gripping tight, sending her heart racing. But her fear would not cow her. Swallowing heavily, she sent one last text.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Fuck it, coming in!!!!_

** _Diana_Cabbage_Dish_ ** _: Amanda! Stay put!_

But the message came too late, she had already activated the circle, the familiar feeling of teleporting gripping her, and soon she was in a white space, pure and pristine…and then the smell hit, overwhelming in its stench, the smell of countless bodies left to bloat in the hot Texas sun, sickly sweet and rank, and she just barely managed to lift the visor on her helmet before she was bent over, vomiting. Then she was done, gasping heavily as she swiped at her mouth with armored fist before she glanced at her phone. She had received several messages while in transit.

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Ugh. I can hear it, the muscles snapping and resetting in place._

_Its wrong._

_This thing isn't right_

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: I just threw up coming in…oh fuck that’s not how that usually goes_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Amanda. Stay. Put._

“Too late for that, sweetie,” Amanda muttered as she raised her wand and sent a burst of magical energy in the air.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Popped a flare_

_Dyou see it?_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Let me check._

_.......no_

“Of course not!” Amanda snapped, taking a tentative breath in through her nose. The smell had lost some of its potency, but still remained, ever present when it should not have existed.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: It doesn’t smell right in here_

_Fuck_

_This wasn’t **me**, this wasn’t something I did_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Amanda?_

_Where are you?_

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Something is **bad** wrong in here_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: The smell_

_It's getting stronger._

_It's so visceral._

_Ugh._

“Not helping to keep me calm, Sucy,” Amanda hissed as she spun in a slow circle before freezing, eyes narrowing. A black speck, so far away that it was almost lost in the omnipresent whiteness. Finally!

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Wait..._

_I’ve got a fix on your location_

Connecting her phone to her helm’s visor and casting body strengthening magic, she took off at a dead run, heading towards the distant figures even as messages continued to come in, and she barely even paused her stride to answer, eyes flickering over the letters of the displayed keyboard, and she reminded herself to do something real nice for Cons the next time she saw the girl…her handless, voiceless text was a damn wonder!

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: It's human._

_I can see it now._

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: No it ain’t!!!_

** _Diana_Cabbage_Dish_ ** _: I'm going to you sucy stay put where you are_

“That’s the last thing we need, dammit!” Amanda wailed, eyes flitting over the letters of her reply.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: The fuck you are_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Its skin is just... thin pieces like tar just barely stretching over its body._

Amanda opted to reply to Diana rather than think about the horror behind Sucy’s message.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: I’m expendable_

** _Diana_Cabbage_Dish_ ** _: I'm on my way_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Its moving._

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: I’m better in a fight Diana!!!_

_Tell the teachers!!!_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: I - fucking hell I forgot my cloak. My potions. There in the dorm._

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Dammit!_

_Do_

_Your_

_Duty_

_Cavendish_

A crackle of summoning energy behind her, and she didn’t need to turn around to know that Diana had completely disregarded Amanda’s words…now the three of them were in this space.

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Both of you stay right THERE_

_DONT COME IN_

** _Diana_Cabbage_Dish_ ** _: I'm starting to smell it, by the nines it's strong as hell_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: damnt_

By now Amanda was running so fast that it was nearly impossible to properly type, even using the Cons’ eye program, the keyboard bouncing in her field of vision with each bounding stride. But then, perfect spelling was the last thing on Amanda’s mind…

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Fuvkduckfyck_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: why didn't you listen._

_do you hear that._

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Diana what’s your tether set at_

_...yes, I can hear it_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: what is that._

Amanda’s and Diana’s replying texts arrived at almost the exact same time.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Bad. It’s bad_

** _Diana_Cabbage_Dish: _ ** _I have no idea..._

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: that sound._

_it's like it's right next to you_

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Almost there!!!_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: This place isn't right._

_You shouldn't be here._

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Didi you cover our asses!!_

She was drawing closer now, breath coming hard and fast as she hurtled along, but she could _see_ both Sucy and the thing, and she grit her teeth as she pushed herself to her limit.

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Leave. Now._

“Come on, Suce, not when I’m so close to you!”

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Not without you_

** _Diana_Cabbage_Dish_ ** _: I can't just leave!_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Leave._

_You need to go._

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: Not without you sweetie_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Tell Ramzan…tell **mom** to plant something. To remember me._

“Fuck that noise!” Amanda snarled, eyes flying over the letters.

** _Amanda_69_ ** _: We ain’t leaving you here, Suce, I need my cookies_

** _sucy the mushroom_ ** _: Then fucking go._

_That smell. It's so strong._

Then, the time for texts passed, and Amanda finally reached Sucy and the monster, even as Sucy stood unnaturally still, almost docile in the face of those terrible claws. But Amanda had _made_ it!

"Tally ho!"

The fierce cry split the unnatural whiteness of this place, and with a crackle of energy like a bolt of lightning, a silver blur flashed by the thing, Amanda quickly sliding to a halt, a black ichor covering the sword she held in her hands.

Her blow had landed clean, the monster falling in half. But then, even before the not-dirt of this place kicked up by her chaotic slide had the chance to settle back down to the ground, the monstrosity gave a rattling groan as the black substance that had to be its blood formed tendrils, rejoining the two halves of its body, slowly pulling it back together.

"Tch, I didn't think that would work!" Amanda snarled, voice muffled and metallic under her full face helm. "Alright, Suce, we leave, right now!"

Sucy glowered at her friend, covered in silver armor and holding a shimmering blade. "You don't ever listen, do you?" She spat out, sparing a furtive glance towards the thing rolling with a confused, sluggish lumber, it wasn't human, it couldn't be.

“When it comes to saving my friends? Hell no!”

"Wheres Diana?" Sucy asked, searching the blank planes of glowing white, of the place that couldn't be called a place. It was the place where memories existed, the Space Between Things, the Other Side of the Mirror. The ground didn't feel physical, it felt like the memory of grits of sand, crunching under her and Amanda’s feet and the monstrous steps of the monster.

"Somewhere behind us. I fucking told her not to come!" Amanda snapped as she scooped up Sucy in her armored arms. "This isn't going to be gentle, sorry for any bruises!" Then they were running back the way that Amanda had come from, as fast as the wind, Sucy’s body bouncing harshly in Amanda’s arms, listening to the harsh pants from under the visored helm. It was obvious that she had cast body strengthening magic, magic that Amanda desperately prayed was going to hold. She had no idea how quickly magic drained and how quickly it regenerated in this place.

"Hey!" Sucy growled, getting over the impromptu urge to snap at her friend, and instead reached up under Amanda’s armor, digging her nails into the fabric of her friend's shirt near her armpit, one of the few areas not covered by the steel plates.

"What? Are we just gonna leave her? Did you see that thing? It grew back! It's not human, and it obviously can't be inflicted by damage! If we leave with Diana what makes you think this thing won't come after us?"

"Because I used the proper fucking runes, dammit! What do you take me for, an amateur?! Nothing can get through to the other side without our permission! And I’m not leaving Diana, either, Akko and Han and Barb would kill me!" Amanda took in a deep breath. "DIANA!!! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU!!!" she fairly roared, voice echoing in that strange space as they continued to run.

For her part, Diana was in a full state of panic, the emotion all powerful in both its intensity and its unfamiliarity, and she only just barely managed to maintain focus. She was used to being in control, of knowing what to do, but this…something about this terrible place pressed on her mind, and it was only because of her intelligence, of her power that she wasn’t a gibbering wreck. But that didn’t change the fact that she didn't know what to do. But then Amanda’s furious voice carried across the void, and the world seemed to flex and bend, and suddenly she could _see_ Amanda running with Sucy where before there had been nothing but whiteness and the smell of fire and brimstone. Relief at the sight of her two friends flooded through her, and she ran to Amanda's side, her wand drawn and ready to be used…she wasn't a fighter but with the amount of adrenaline coursing through her veins she didn't doubt that she’d fight with all the fury of a demon if the need arose.

Apparently Amanda saw something of her terror in her face. "The great Cavendish, panicking? Never thought I'd see the day, Didi," Amanda quipped as she drastically slowed her breakneck pace so that Diana could keep up, though even a deaf man would have been able to hear the shrill quality to her voice...she wasn't nearly as calm as she was trying to come off as, which reassured Diana. "Now, Didi, you didn't answer before. How long is your tether for? Mine is fifteen minutes on the other side. What did you set yours at?"

"Nice to see your sarcastic comments don't change in the face of danger," Diana snapped with a waspish glare at the red head. "My tether is set for twenty minutes," she went on to say, her mind was still racing no matter how much she tried to stop it. There had to be something about this place that was effecting her so! Perhaps Amanda was so simple that she was less bothered by this place…and by the somber look on Sucy’s face, she was the least effected out of all of them, but then…this was Sucy. There was no way to really tell.

Amanda stumbled at the words, her armored head snapping around to look at Diana. "Twenty minutes?! Why the hell would you want to be here for five minutes by yourself! And we still have no idea the time conversion rate, those five minutes could be five years on this side! Dammit, Cavendish, this is why I told you not to come here!"

"This is actually why I told both of you not to come here." Sucy growled from her place in Amanda’s arms, all the while sparing glances over Amanda’s armored shoulder.

"Hey, I'm expendable. I'm just a no good kid from the States whose family used to be white trash until my grandma turned out to be a powerful diviner when she was a teenager. But Cavendish? She's important!" Amanda snapped back. "She has people like Akko and Hannah and Barbara waiting for her."

"Shut up, Amanda," Sucy growled lowly in her throat.

"Not when I'm speaking true, Suce...is that thing still back there? Is it following us?"

Sucy turned her head, heart coming to a sudden stop, as something cold and horrible crept into her heart.

"Yes."

"...is it faster than us right now?"

"....yes."

"Do you at least have your wand?"

Sucy swallowed and threw a Murowa over her shoulder, striking somewhere where the creatures shoulder was, sending it stumbling.

"What do you think?"

"Bold of you to assume that I can’t handle myself for five minutes,” Diana snapped as she raised her wand at the monstrosity, fully ready to prove her point. “_Diphulaniado_!” she cried out, the explosive spell striking the creature dead on, evaporating its body…but then a dark vapor coalesced where it once was, rebuilding its form. She stared at the spot, horror gnawing at her, and she swallowed heavily, her next words coming softly. “I can handle myself for five minutes, even if the time is off here, and on the off chance I don't, well…" she paused, not willing to elaborate further. "Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." She kept glancing between Amanda and Sucy, occasionally throwing glances behind them to see how far along its reconstructive process it was. It was growing back distressingly quickly…

"Fuck," Amanda hissed under her breath as she stopped running altogether. "I think it's going to catch us before we get back.” Then her body froze, breathing stilling for a moment before she continued. “Wait...there's actually a spell I know of that should help us fight it." She quickly checked her wand's battery levels, going completely still for a moment before continuing. "Okay, yeah, that should work. We have to all cast it in unison, though, or else I don't think it'll work...it's like the nullification spell thingy. The incantation is 'Mitte Ergo Mihi Domum Suam.' Are you girls ready?"

"Let's go home." Sucy grit her teeth, holding tightly to her wand.

Diana held her wand tightly. "Let's go," she nodded.

"That's the idea," Amanda said, voice quiet, though the other two could almost hear the crooked grin underneath her helmet. The three of them lifted their wands at the same time, the crackling, popping sound of the approaching monster growing rapidly louder as Diana and Sucy copied Amanda's wand movements. "Mitte...Ergo...Mihi...Domum...Suam!" they all chanted...except Amanda, who didn't speak the last syllable of the last word. Before the other two could react to their friend's omission, there was a sizzle and a pop, and they found themselves standing in the Green dorm room...without Amanda.

Diana was the first to react. "It worked!" she smiled with relief as she glanced around the room, her face falling once she realized what had happened. "Amanda, you dumbass!" she cursed, voice absolutely furious. Sucy wasn’t faring much better.

"You fucking-!" she seethed past tightly clenched teeth. Then she took a deep breath, centering herself. "Come on, Daffodil, let's go save that idiot," Sucy grumbled, grabbing the other girl's hand and heading towards the still lightly glowing summoning circle on the floor.

Meanwhile, in Su-Space, Amanda stared at the empty spaces that the other two had just been occupying before letting out a steady, calm breath. "Two ways out," she muttered to herself as she turned towards the oncoming monster. "I get to the circle and use it, or I last until my tether calls me back. Easy." She grit her teeth. "Jennifer's tits I hope they're fucking smart enough to stay there. It'll be easier for me to survive without having to watch over their asses." She rolled her neck, cracking it as the monster drew close enough. "Case in point..."

She darted forward, blade flashing, cutting through the tarry flesh with ease as she slid to a halt again. But this time, the monster began to pull itself together much more rapidly. It seemed like every time it ‘died’ it just came back faster. Still, she had bought herself a little time. Time enough to get in contact with the other two. Taking off at a run, her eyes flitted over the contact screen, and she glanced over Diana’s and Sucy’s profile pics before focusing on the call button, the line ringing once...twice...

The call came as a relief to Sucy as she answered it, but her first words were mercilessly cutting. "Amanda, you better still be alive, or I swear I'll rip out your liver with my teeth," Sucy snarled out as she and Diana stepped onto the circle. It was an absolute testament to how much she and Diana cared about the idiot American that they were willing to go back into that unnatural place to bring her back.

"Wouldn't be calling you if I wasn't!" came the panting voice on the other end. "Sorry, you two, didn't have enough magic left to pull myself back as well. I had the least time on the tether...and I'm best armed and armored...ho fuck is he mad! Wah, and faster too! Hang on..."

Amanda's voice stopped talking replaced by grunts of exertion and the ripping sound of a blade on flesh. After a moment's pause, she returned. "These things learn, real quick! Fuck, what are they? Didi, do you know?"

"I'm trying to figure out what it was, but so far nothing," Diana replied, voice concerned. "But I'll keep looking. I feel like I've seen them or read about them before…"

"Cool story, bro!" Some more panting over the sound of her armor clanking. "Don't worry, I'm almost to the..."

Silence, from the other line, save for Amanda's breaths, coming deep and slow. "There's...like, a dozen of them, gathered around the summoning circle. They can't get through, though they're banging on it. Wait...they just noticed me. I'll...uh, I'll call you girls back. Give my best to the gang, 'specially Han and Barb. Tell my grandma to go fuck herself with a cactus dildo, and...don't come in after me. That tether works, no matter what. I will come back. And uh...I love you both. I really do. Bye."

The line went dead.

"Amanda?! Amanda!" She gritted her teeth. "Shit!"

The next minutes were spent in agony. There was no way to know how much time had passed in the real world while they had been in there. The tether could activate in seconds, or it could take the full fifteen minutes. Not knowing which one it would be was the worst thing of it all. The urge to return to Amanda's side was almost overpowering, but Diana had to admit the red-headed American was right in telling them to stay in Luna Nova. If they returned to that place, there was no guarantee that any of them would come back out. All they really could do was wait.

Finally...nine minutes after their return, the summoning circle in the middle of the dorm floor flared a brilliant blue, and in the space of time between a blink, an armored body was standing in the center of the circle, bent and battered sword raised in a strike, once silver armor dented and covered with a black, tarry ichor, with some gouges torn through the metal, bloodied flesh underneath.

With a fierce cry, Amanda pivoted, shifting her arms, ready to attack, but once she realized she was safe, that she was back in the dorm, she dropped to her knees with a sharp sob, armor clattering as she fell completely back, sword falling from limp hands.

Sucy quickly closed the portal, watching in horror as her friend lay on the ground, obviously utterly exhausted, chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath, black ichor and red blood staining the floor. Sucy ground her teeth and worked her jaw. It had been close…far too close for comfort.

For her part, Diana’s medical training immediately kicked in, and she rushed to Amanda’s side the moment she collapsed, wand out and activated, already closing the worst of the wounds that she could see.

Gasping for breath, Amanda raised shaking hands to her helmet, undoing its clasps before pulling it from her head, revealing sweat matted and darkened hair, skin as pale as a sheet, lips tinged an unnatural blue, and deep bags under her eyes. Tossing the helmet to the side, she dropped her head back to the floor with a thump, tears running from the corners of her eyes, down past her temples, and into her hair line. "Never again," she whimpered. "Never again." Then glazed eyes focused slightly, flicking to Diana's concerned face as she continued to cast her healing spells, and a weak smile cracked across the haggard face. "Glad to see you're doing good, Princess," she almost slurred as her eyelids slid shut. "Suce?" she called out, either unable or unwilling to open her eyes.

"I'm here," Sucy says quietly, eye darting between the two. She hurriedly scrounged for the few samples of fungi she was able to salvage, the ones she knew was the best for healing.

"Can I...can I get some of those cookies now?"

That, more than anything, convinced Sucy that everything was going to be okay, and her shoulders sagged with the sudden relief of it all. "You fucking idiot," she said almost fondly as she shook her head. “Yes, Amanda. You can have some of the cookies now.”


End file.
